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| View Larger Image | Natural Selection | Mass Market Paperbackby Dave Freedman (Author)
| List Price: | $7.99 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Mass Market Paperback | | Publisher: | Hyperion | | Page Count: | 414 Pages | | Publication Date: | July 01, 2007 | | Sales Rank: | 720,049th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
A team of marine scientists is on the verge of making the most stunning discovery in the history of man: a previously unknown predatory species, alive now, evolving just like the dinosaurs-and being forced out of its world and into man's for a violent first encounter. In their quest for answers, they engage a host of fascinating characters-experts in neurology and deep sea geology, flight-simulation wizards, and evolution historians-and set off together to exotic locales, experiencing love, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal along the way. When people start dying, the real hunt begins. Weaving science and thriller in a way not seen since Jurassic Park, Natural Selection is that rare blend of intricately layered research, rich characters, and tornado pacing. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 57 reviews)
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Good first effort by William Sugarman (Great Neck, NY USA)  3 Stars
October 12, 2009
The subject and the story held my interest, but it was fairly easy to tell that Freedman has never written a story before. As the Washington Post reviewer indicates, the story jumps far too often from one point of view to another, and his sentence structure is atrocious.
Still, the story is a nail-biter in spite of these flaws and one hopes that his next book (if there is one) will show an improvement.
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Page Turner! by C. Ballard (San Bernardino)  5 Stars
April 01, 2009
This is a really good book. The "monsters" are horrific. I would have finished in two days if it wasnt for work and school. Great reading!
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VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN PAGE TURNER by Marianne (Michigan) 5 Stars
March 16, 2009
It's been a while since I read a book that had me this riveted. Like Michael Crichton on his good days, the author here takes a spectacular and yes, unbelievable concept - a new species of predator evolving to fly right here on earth - and through a very clever combination of research, science and fiction makes it absolutely believable. This is an extremely entertaining and truly frightening read. It's done so well it actually makes you think that a species like this could evolve. People often call books "page-turners" but sometimes they're just not. I actually had to force myself to put this book down, it was that good and that riveting. Every step of the way, I just wanted to find out what happens next. Natural Selection was just a lot of fun! I think it will make an amazing movie. Very highly recommended.
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DO NOT Select 'Natural Selection'! by Brad Gosselin (Amelia, Virginia)  1 Stars
March 03, 2009
I went off the cover for this turkey expecting something along the lines of the Meg series by Steve Alten. Nope. Heres the rub ...no sharks. No , just giant manta rays that 'learn' to 'adapt' and breathe air AND fly! If you can wrap your brain around that then perhaps this is the book for you. I found it a complete waste of time and money. I was 100 pages from the end and I just didn't care how it ended.
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Finally! More Water Creature Fiction! by Kody Boye (Idaho) 3 Stars
January 31, 2009
It's easy for me to say that I love water creature fiction, because I do. I got hooked on Steve Alten's MEG series, and loved his book THE LOCH more than anything. But, recently, I got disappointed because I couldn't find any more creature fiction.
I found a new novel in NATURAL SELECTION.
The novel begins simply enough, with a page or so about how we `don't know everything,' which is true. We DON'T really know anything about the ocean (as the novel will soon tell us.) We know more about the moon than we do about the ocean. Followed by that, we're introduced to a few characters that, surprisingly, we see only once. This sets up the novel, but it's odd to see characters used for only brief amounts of time.
Followed by the opening--in which we learn that there's something strange in the ocean--we're introduced to our cast. This consists of biologists and ichthyologists Jason, Craig, Lisa, Monique, Darryl, and the photographer Phil (who's basically there to document the research and keep the tech and communications updated.) Jason--our main character--is suffering from depression in the aftermath of his failed Manta World project. For some reason, they could never keep the mantas alive, which is a personal disappointment to Jason. Because of this, he hardly trusts anyone.
While on a routine mission to monitor plankton levels, they get a call that a bunch of seagulls disappeared. Craig--one of the members--comes to the conclusion that a virus is coming up from the ocean, which is even further backed up because of the decreased plankton levels. But, because of this, something else is also rising, something dangerous.
When a mechanic goes missing out on sea, the group is set to find him. But when they find nothing more than a few teeth, things start to get strange. And when Lisa takes the teeth to an expert, he says that they're from a `new species,' a `dangerous hunter.'
From here, the group is thrust into a journey of action, suspense, and intrigue.
When you start reading NATURAL SELECTION, you'll notice a few things. One is that you might confuse a few characters (I myself got Craig and Jason confused for a good while, since Craig was commonly referred to as `Summers'--his last name. I thought Jason's last name was Summers, so it got confusing for the first little while.) Second, some of the editing is off, which makes the reading flow interrupted at times. And three, the pacing is off in several parts. One chapter we've got it going day by day, then the next chapter we jump months ahead. It unexpectedly jars the reader out of the flow.
Regardless of the faults, NATURAL SELECTION is a well-written thriller. It's the kind of book that MAKES you want to keep reading, regardless of what else you may or could be doing. I loved the way the book flowed (despite the pacing sometimes being off, but that soon corrects itself later in the novel,) the way the characters coexisted with each other, the twists and turns Freedman put in. The book is one that will make you want to keep reading.
The ending is well-written, but for some reason, I didn't find it as impacting as I believe it should've been. I won't reveal the ending or what happens around it, but it seems as though the reader should be left feeling more of something.
You'll definitely want to pick up a copy of NATURAL SELECTION. You won't be disappointed once you start reading.
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